Hello I Must Be Going

Cure for Agoraphobia
This is pretty standard romantic comedy fare; the most amusing part is the May/December romance (well, not really December...) which features a (sorta) older woman and a younger man.

A recent divorcée has to move back home because her husband wanted the divorce and she has never held a job. Now she is caught in a spiral of embarrassment, ennui, and agoraphobia. Her well-meaning parents are anxious for her to get out and start to take an interest in life: she hasn't left the house for three months. They decide to throw a party for one of Dad's clients to pave the way for his possible retirement, while at the same time, to motivate their daughter to change out of her old t-shirt and meet some new people.

We meet:
* Melanie Lynskey ("Ever After") is Amy, sorely in need of an antidepressant; she mixes her metaphors and says, "I had the rug pulled over my eyes."
* Blythe Danner ("The Lucky One") is Ruth, her mother, who reads Dr. Seuss to her...

Engaging divorce and family drama
"Hello I Must Be Going" (2012 release; 95 min.) brings the story of Amy (played by Melanie Lynskey), a thirty-something who has just moved back into her parens' house after her husband left and divorced her. Amy hasn't legt the house in three months and doesn't get up before noon. In other words: depressed. Amy's dad, who is a lawyer, is trying to woo a potential new client, and at a dinner party with the potential new client and his extended family including his 19 yr. old stepson Jeremy (played by Christopher Abbott), Jeremy and Amy develop an instant crush on each other. Soon therafter, they have a fully blooming affair. Inevitably, one day, they get found out. To tell you more of the plot would ruin your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Several comments: (1) it must be Melanie Lynskey weekend for me here in Cincinnati: I just saw her yesterday in a (much smaller) role in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and now today she...

All Of Life's Little Curves At One Time
Although this film might be seen as formulaic, it's the two female leads that make it work. Amy is quirky & slightly puzzled & lost in wonder. Her mother is so grounded she can't seem to ever get off the ground. There are dreams & nightmares but they are real life for the characters in this movie & you get to watch how they deal with those moments because like all dreams & nightmares, they tend to come to a quick end. I wouldn't call this a slice of life but compressed life. I'm really glad I watched it & I'll watch it again. Melanie Lynskey is a wonderful actress & she has a natural beauty that reminds me of Kelly MacDonald & Emily Mortimer. Although I know it will not impress her to find this out, she has added another fan to her circle that I am certain is very wide & quite full.

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